Hard to say goodbye....

Photo: Dorothea Handy and Yen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Bentzinger
(516) 330-6457
Photo available upon request jbentzinger@cci.org
Hard to say goodbye….But Arnold Volunteer Puppy Raisers are ecstatic Assistance Dog Yen is now Canine Companion to Virginia woman with hearing disability

Hearing Graduate Dorothea Handy & Yen
Arnold, MD - Canine Companions for Independence – a national non-profit organization that provides assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities – is proud to announce that Virginia resident Dorothea Handy has recently received an assistance dog from Canine Companions for Independence.
Dorothea was matched with Yen, a two-year-old lab/golden retriever cross who has been trained to assist Dorothea with her hearing disability. Yen alerts Dorothea to sounds such as a telephone ringing, doorbell, or even a smoke alarm.
Much of the thanks for this successful match goes to Canine Companions for Independence volunteer puppy raisers Emerson and Donna Davis of Arnold, MD. (The Davis’s are 3-time Canine Companions for Independence Volunteer Puppy Raisers, currently raising Puppy Webster.) Emerson and Donna raised Yen from an 8 week old puppy, and said goodbye to him after a year and a half. Emerson and Donna worked tirelessly with Yen, teaching him basic commands, and the all-important socialization skills. When he was old enough to begin advanced training, Yen was returned to the Canine Companions Northwest Headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA where he worked for 6 months with the organizations nationally renowned instructors, learning over 40 advanced commands that are useful to a person with a hearing disability.
Dorothea and Yen are settling into a routine back home in Virginia. Dorothea says, “Yen is a very special dog and I hope to have many wonderful years with him. I can’t thank Emerson and Donna Davis enough”.

ABOUT CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE: Canine Companions for Independence is the largest non-profit provider of trained assistance dogs with five regional training centers across the country. Established in 1975, Canine Companions provides highly trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities and is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. There is no charge for the dog, its training and on-going follow-up services. For more information, visit cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.